Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who is President Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, appeared Thursday on Newsmax to discuss the president’s economic strategy, which Kellogg says could bring an end to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
During an appearance on “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Kellogg said Trump’s economic strategy involves manipulating the global oil market to weaken Russia’s economy. This strategy, Kellogg said, is one possible outcome of Trump meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower last year.
“Where the president came from, it was different. He said the carnage needs to stop,” Kellogg said.
“But where he pivoted to, which I think is very, very smart, he pivoted to economics. When he talked about, for example, at Davos, when he talked about the price of oil, if you drop the price of oil, say, $45 a barrel, that’s kind of a break-even point. You get there, and you really do hurt the Russian economy.”
Kellogg said this tactic not only seeks to debilitate Russia economically, but it also steers away from further bloodshed and towards economic negotiations.
“So when you look at the sanctions, the sanctions that have been put on Russia, and when you look at the price of oil, that can really start to hurt them economically,” Kellogg said. “And that’s really where you need to start thinking about it, because you’re not going to kill your way out of this war, Greta, you’re just not. It’s going to have to be something other than killing. And that’s where the economic piece starts to come into play.”
Kellogg also shared his insights on Trump’s and Zelensky’s meeting, where economic solutions that he said are favorable to both nations were discussed.
“I think President Trump, when he met Zelensky in Trump Tower last September, he says, I think we can work something out which is good for both sides, and it’s time to do so. And I think he’s absolutely right. And I think he can do it. He’s the only one who can do it to bring this war to a conclusion,” Kellogg said. “And he’s going to work hard at it. We’ve talked to many of the principals, and I think everybody’s ready to do this, even though verbally or when you look at it, maybe by in the media, you see that Putin may not be ready.”
At last year’s meeting, Trump, alongside Zelenskyy, told reporters they both want to see the conflict end and “a fair deal made.”
“It should stop, and the president (Zelenskyy) wants it to stop, and I’m sure President Putin wants it to stop and that’s a good combination,” Trump said at the time.
Trump, speaking Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said the ongoing war in Ukraine is connected to oil prices. He said that a reduction of oil prices could end the conflict.
“Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue,” Trump said.
“You got to bring down the oil price. You could end that war.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Newsmax)
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